Go back to the day after Rafael Devers agreed to his most recent contract. He could have gone to arbitration but instead agreed to a one-year deal. That, of course, led to the logical follow-up: Was it a tough decision?
"It was tough, obviously, having to go back and forth about what my worth was because we have other guys they were saying, ‘This is what they are slotted at.’ But I was like, ‘That’s not me. I’m a different player and I know the type of player that I am.’ That’s really what it was," Devers told WEEI.com.
Telling. And, as it is currently looking, right on the money.
Devers is a different kind of player, the likes of which teams build their rosters around. Not a defensively-challenged third baseman. No, the player we are witnessing is flat-out one of the best players in baseball, which is exactly what the 25-year-old has been trying to tell the Red Sox.
While Devers continues to man his position with confidence not consistently seen during his first four full seasons in Major League Baseball, his presence at the plate is simply as threatening as any player in the big leagues right now. That was put on display once again during the Red Sox' 5-3 win over the Tigers Tuesday afternoon.
Simply put, the Red Sox don't beat Detroit if Devers is not in the lineup. And that's a feeling that seems more and more prevalent with each passing day.
This time Devers came away with three hits, scoring two runs and knocking in a pair. For a lineup that came into the day with the second-worst batting average in the majors, the lefty slugger has been the one keeping the Red Sox afloat, coming away with at least one hit in each of the first five games.
The batting average is .381. The OPS is 1.028. And Devers has been involved in eight of the Red Sox' 17 runs this season.
There is, obviously, a long way to go. One hundred and fifty seven games kind of long. But based on the evolution witnessed since his arrival in Fort Myers, and the carry-over of the images to the regular season, Devers seems to be on the trolley when it comes to who he is and what he is worth.
"That's not me." Those words Devers passed on to the Red Sox during negotiations seem more poignant than ever.